Since the very beginning the American Federation of Government Employees has supported TSA’s Transportation Security Officers as they serve while working under onerous conditions made possible by the lack of collective bargaining rights. Today is a step forward to a better TSA.
The Federal Labor Relations Authority has moved forward with AFGE’s petition for an election at TSA by directing the agency to provide the FLRA with documents needed to make a decision on whether a union election should be held.
In a letter to TSA Assistant Administrator for Human Capital Richard Whitford, FLRA Acting Regional Director Peter Sutton asked Whitford to provide a list of employees described in AFGE’s petition, which are non-supervisory Transportation Security Officers in pay bands D, E, F, and G. Sutton also asked for a list of employees who won’t be part of the bargaining unit, including supervisors and TSA headquarters staff. Sutton further asked for TSA’s position on AFGE’s petition, which seeks to determine whether TSOs wish to be represented by a union for the purpose of collective bargaining.
“The process of determining who TSOs want to bargain their contract is one that the FLRA takes very seriously,” AFGE President John Gage said. “We are confident that an election will take place very soon.”
AFGE on Feb. 22 filed the FLRA petition, stating that “By settling the question of representation first, AFGE will be ready to begin negotiations as soon as the bargaining rights are established.”
“TSOs have been waiting for too long and they need a union that will be innovative in its approach to securing the rights to which they are entitled,” Gage added. “More than 13,000 TSOs in more than 100 airports nationwide already have expressed interest in having AFGE as their union, and we look forward to welcoming the rest of the bargaining unit workforce into our union.”
TSA has until March 12 to turn in the information. The agency also has been asked to put up a notice of petition at airports across the country to notify employees about the petition.
AFGE’s petition and the FLRA letter to TSA can be found here
DC Special Interests Examiner Ron Moore will be debating Brian Johnson, Executive Director of the Alliance for Worker Freedom a project of Americans for Tax Reform on the issue of TSA collective bargaining rights March 31 at 2:00 p.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building Room SD106.
Comments
I feel that for TSA to unionize would be a BIG mistake. TSA is in the business of security. TSA needs to be able to make changes to how business is done at a moments notice - remember the liquid bomb scare of 2006. A unionized TSA would not be able to do that in my opinion. Also, in my experience of working a number of jobs over the last 35+ years, there are two things that I noticed about the unions that I was FORCED to join in order to work. One, the workers is forced to pay a few hundred dollars a year in dues and get very little to nothing in return. Second, unions protect workers who didn't do their job and should be fired from their job. Generally, workers who do their jobs don't have to worry about losing their jobs.
Kelley
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Ah yea... Kelly the problem with workers that do there jobs in TSA is they too are still not under a labor contract. No workers should be denied a voice and a right to collectively bargain for better working conditions. If you think that is not the case... Then there is no point in stating what the TSO's lack in the way of workplace protections
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